Download 1. Historical and Current Perspectives in Psychology

Chabot College
Fall, 2010
Course Outline for Psychology 1
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
Catalog Description:
1 — GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
3 units
Introduces students to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Provides an overview
of major psychological concepts and theories in such areas as consciousness, learning, memory,
motivation, perception, personality, stress, and social behavior.
Strongly recommended: Eligibility for English 1 A. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
Before entering this course, it is strongly recommended that the student be able to:
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use strategies to assess a text’s purpose, and main idea prior to the act of reading;
respond critically to a text through class discussions and writing;
respond to texts drawing on personal experience and other texts;
organize coherent essays around a central idea or a position;
use concepts of paragraph and essay structure and development to analyze his/her own and
others’ essays;
provide appropriate and accurate evidence to support positions and conclusions;
demonstrate academic integrity and responsibility, particularly when integrating the exact
language and ideas of an outside text into one’s own writing;
utilize effective grammar recall to check sentences for correct grammar and mechanics;
proofread his/her own and others’ prose.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
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define the various theoretical perspectives that have shaped the study of psychology;
contrast the unifying themes that underlie the field of psychology;
distinguish between the goals of scientific psychology and common sense;
evaluate the various psychological research methods and use of descriptive and inferential
statistics;
discuss the importance of ethical principles in research outlined in the APA Code of Ethics;
summarize the key functions of different brain components;
describe the role of heredity and environment on behavior;
describe the processes involved in sensation and perception;
distinguish between the various states of human consciousness;
identify the differences between various theories of learning;
describe the process involved in the encoding, storage and retrieval of memories;
discuss the theories of intelligence and the goals of psychological testing;
distinguish between the two major categories of human motives;
describe the basic components of emotion;
explain how biological and environmental factors contribute to developmental differences;
define the construct of personality;
describe the theoretical approaches to understanding abnormal behavior;
describe the various models of psychotherapy;
discuss the situational influences on behavior;
describe psychological differences and similarities between groups based on gender,
sexuality, race, ethnicity, social, or cultural grouping;
apply concepts and theories to personal development.
Chabot College
Course Outline for Psychology 1
Page 2
Fall, 2010
Course Content:
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Historical and Current Perspectives in Psychology:
a. Contemporary perspectives used by psychologists to understand behavior and mental
processes
b. Major subfields in psychology
c. Careers in the field of psychology
d. Underlying themes that unify the study of psychology
Research in Psychology:
a. Research strategies used by psychologists to explore behavior and mental processes
b. Scientific approach to understanding behavior
c. Ethical Issues in research with human and nonhuman animals
Biological Bases of Behavior
a. Structure and function of the neuron
b. Organization of the nervous system
c. Structure and function of the brain
d. Interplay of heredity and environment on behavior
e. The role of evolution in brain and behavior
Sensation and Perception
a. Capabilities and limitations of sensory processes
b. Top-down and bottom-up processing
c. Nature of attention
Variations in Consciousness
a. Levels of awareness
b. Biological rhythms and sleep
c. Theories of dreaming
d. Hypnosis and meditation
e. Psychoactive drugs
Learning
a. Classical conditioning
b. Operant conditioning
c. Cognitive process in conditioning
d. Observational learning
The Construction of Memory
a. Encoding, storage, and retrieval processes
b. Types of memory
c. Physiology of memory
d. Methods for improving memory
Language and Thought
a. Structure of language
b. Approaches to problem solving
c. Decision-making process
Intelligence and Psychological Testing
a. Types of psychological testing
b. Meaning of IQ scores
c. Interaction of heredity and environment on intelligence
d. Nature of creativity
Motivation and Emotion
a. Theories of motivation
b. Biological and cultural factors influencing motivation
c. Elements of emotion
d. Theories of emotion
Lifespan Development
a. Development as a lifelong process
b. Theories of development
Chabot College
Course Outline for Psychology 1
Page 3
Fall, 2010
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Issues surrounding the developmental process (nature/nurture, continuity/discontinuity,
stability/instability, critical periods)
Personality Theory and Assessment
a. Personality constructs
b. Theories of personality
c. Assessment of personality
Stress, Coping, and Health
a. Sources of stress
b. Physiological and psychological responses to stress
c. Cognitive and behavioral strategies for dealing with stress and promoting health
Psychological Disorders
a. Characteristics and origins of abnormal behavior
b. Diagnosing psychological disorders
c. Major categories of psychological disorders
d. Impact of psychological disorders
Treatment of Psychological Disorders
a. Prominent methods used to treat individuals with disorders
b. Types of practitioners who implement treatment
c. Legal and ethical challenges involved in treatment
Social Thought and Behavior
a. Social judgment and attitudes
b. Social and cultural categories
c. Group behaviors of attraction, helping, conformity, obedience and aggresion
Psychological Diversity
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Gender and sexuality
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Socio-cultural differences in psychology
Applying Psychology
a. Self-understanding
b. Understanding the behavior and motivations of others
c. Areas of application such as school psychology, industrial/organizational psychology,
forensic psychology, and health psychology
Methods of Presentation:
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Lectures on major themes and concepts
Readings from texts, supplementary materials, primary source materials
Discussion and problem solving of significant or controversial issues
Written assignments
Utilization of video and/or CD-ROM excerpts
Student-led presentations
Demonstrations and simulations
Application of concepts to personal experiences
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
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Typical Assignments
a. Reading and Discussion:
1) Read Chapter 1, “Major Perspectives in Psychology,” Hockenbury, pp. 9-13. Be
prepared to identify, compare and contrast key theoretical perspectives, including
Biological, Cognitive and Sociocultural.
2) Read Chapter 1, "The Scientific Method," Hockenbury, pp. 15-33. Be prepared to
discuss the advantages of the scientific approach to the study of behavior.
3) Read Chapter 9, “Lifespan Development," Hockenbury, pp.368-381. Be prepared to
compare and contrast the different theories of development explaining changes in
cognition and personality throughout the stages of life.
Chabot College
Course Outline for Psychology 1
Page 4
Fall, 2010
b. Writing:
1) Research and write a paper pertaining to one of the primary topic areas
discussed
in this course. Use the library resources to find supporting peer-reviewed research
articles. Cite references in APA format.
2) After viewing a selected video, such as Away From Her, be prepared to write a short
paper on the portrayal of an individual with progressive Alzheimer’s dementia. In your
paper reference relevant facts about brain structures and functions, neural
communication, key neurotransmitters, and associated behavioral changes
experienced.
3) Based on the readings about memory organization, write an advice “Letter about
Memory,” addressed to a high school senior who will be starting college. In your letter
include advice about Elaborative Rehearsal, Self-Reference Effect and Distributed
Study that enhance memory capacity and recall.
c. Collaborative Learning
1) As a small group, evaluate the key perspectives in psychology including Biological,
Cognitive, and Sociocultural perspectives, match each perspective with an example
of human behavior or mental process, and explain the complex interaction between
the perspectives.
2) As a small group, present a case study of an individual with a psychological disorder,
including clinical symptoms, DSM-IV-TR criteria, and treatment options for the
disorder. You will prepare a PowerPoint presentation to the class.
3) As a small group, evaluate a series of presented moral scenarios and dilemmas and
apply Kohlberg’s theoretical levels of moral reasoning.
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Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
a. Participation in multiple class discussions or small group projects
b. Several essay or opinion papers
c. Chapter quizzes and/or midterm examinations
d. One final examination
e. Presentation or project
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Psychology in Everyday Life, Myers, David, Worth Publishers, New York, 2009,1st edition
Psychology and Life, Gerrig, Richard and Zimbardo, Philip, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 2007,18th edition
Discovering Psychology, Hockenbury, Don and Hockenbury, Sandra, Worth Publishers, New York,
2007, 4th edition
Psychology, Hockenbury, Don and Hockenbury, Sandra, Worth Publishers, New York, 2010, 5th
edition
Introduction to Psychology, Plotnik, Rod and Kouyoumdjian, Haig, Thomson-Wadsworth, Belmont,
2007, 8th edition
Psychology Core Concepts, Zimbardo, Philip G, Johnson, Robert L., and McCann,Vivian,
Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 2010, 6th edition
Special Student Materials:
Computer access
PSY 1, revised 9/09: cs